


Practicing in the Godswood

by Popcorners



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:57:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7391806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popcorners/pseuds/Popcorners
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They practiced everything together. Sword fighting, archery, and riding. It's only right that they would practice kissing as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They’d been practicing kissing in the Godswood for ages now.

She was ten and two when it started and she first espied Theon kissing a kitchen maid. She ran to him afterwards and peppered him with questions. _What were they doing? I saw him put his tongue in her mouth! Why would anyone want to do that?_

She always ran to him when she needed something explained to her. _Jon would never lie to me because I am too young._ They’d been inseparable ever since he came to live with them when he was ten and two and Arya seven, both of them outsiders in the Stark family; Jon because he was a Targaryen, and Arya because she didn’t look like a Tully.

The kissing started innocently enough. Arya was curious after she saw Theon with another kitchen maid. She had asked Sansa but she only sighed and got that stupid look she always got whenever a bard came to play at Winterfell and they sang about Jonquil and that Fool. “Sansa!” Arya said with a stamp of her foot. _Can’t you see this is a serious question?_ Sansa only laughed at her, “you’re being silly, Arya.” Arya knew when she was being dismissed. _I don’t see how I’m being silly. I was just wondering what it feels like. It must feel good or else who would you want someone else’s tongue in their mouth?_

She found Jon in the Godswood early the next morning.

“What are you doing up so early?” he asked her.

“I don’t always sleep until midday you know.”

“Since when?” he jested

“Since I needed to ask you a favor.”

“Oh? And here I thought you wanted to spend time with me because you love spending time with me.”

“Don’t be stupid. I need you do me this favor and then we’ll go riding.”

“Alright. And what is this favor?” he asked a smile on his lips. _This should be good,_ “Need me to help you get away from septa Mordane later today?”

“No. I have my escape plan all set for that. I need you to kiss me.”  
Jon’s smile dropped. _She could not be serious._ He glanced at her and saw that she was indeed serious.

“Seven hells, Arya, why?”

“I want to know what it feels like.” She shrugged. _Of course she would think this request as normal as asking for a sip of my ale._

They stared at each other for a few moments. Jon could tell she was getting impatient waiting for his answer.

“Well are you going to help me or not?” she yelled, the silence of it all unnerving her.

_I don’t see why Sansa and Jeyne Poole call her horseface. While Sansa was all conventional beauty, Arya was the north. A wildness in her that could not be tamed and when she focused all of her attention on something or someone, it was breathtaking._

She could see the wheels turning and she rushed to assure him that it was okay.

“You help me practice with a sword, this would be no different.”

“This would be very different.”

“How so?”

“It just is”

“That’s not a real answer.” She could tell he wasn’t going to give in that easily, so she decided to change tactics.

“Please Jon. Please. Pleasepleasepleaseeeeee.” _Begging. Of course she would beg, knowing full well I’ll give into her that way._

Jon sighed and Arya smiled wide knowing she’d worn him down.

“It’s not a yes,” he said reading her mind.

“Of course it is.” Arya gushed, jumping up and down and Jon couldn’t help but smile at her and her exuberance.

“1 kiss and then we go riding.”

“2 kisses.”

“1 kiss and that is all” Jon said.

“1 kiss, 5 minutes.”

“1 kiss, 5 seconds.” Jon snapped. A _re we really negotiating this_?

“1 kiss, 2 minutes.”

“Arya.” His pained look made her stop negotiating.

“Fine,” She said quietly.

Jon walked up to her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her. It was chaste. She didn’t want chaste. She wanted Jon to kiss her like Theon kissed that kitchen maid.

“What was that, Jon?” she laughed out “if I wanted a kiss like that I’d ask Old Nan.”

Jon laughed at the thought. Every year, when they celebrated the harvest, Old Nan would get into her cups and give all the kids kisses before sending them off to bed.

“Come on, do it for real.”

Jon stopped laughing and nodded his acquiescence.

He grabbed her face and kissed her. It was tentative. Sweet. And Arya thought that he was turning it into another chaste kiss when suddenly it changed.

Arya’s lips parted as soon as she noticed it becoming something different and he slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Arya began to feel desire pooling in her stomach. And suddenly it was done. Jon pulled away from her sheepishly, his hand rushing up to rub the back of his neck.

Arya felt sad that his lips were no longer on hers. _If it feels like that all the time, I’ll never want to stop._

“Well, what do you think?’ Jon asked quietly.

She took one look at him and saw how he averted his eyes from her, a grimace painting his face. _I can’t tell him that I liked it, can I? Jon didn’t want to do it in the first place; he would not like to hear that I enjoyed it._

“It was weird,” she said with a shrug.

Jon only nodded.

“Shall we go riding?” Arya asked with a playful flash in her eyes.

 

They raced to the stables from the Godswood. Jon not fully into the race, his mind preoccupied with what had just transpired. By the time he joined her in the stables, she was already throwing her saddle on her horse. Jon quickly did the same, glad for the distraction. _I shouldn’t have gotten carried away like I did. She’s too young to understand what I feel for her._ Arya interrupted Jon from his thoughts.

“Are you still saddling your horse? Gods you’re slow.” She yelled down from her own horse.

Jon finished up as quickly as he could and they set off towards the Wolfswood.

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another kiss, another dilemma.

It had been a few moon turns after their kiss but Arya still thought on it. She found herself blushing when she overheard Jeyne telling Sansa about kissing Theon and how he slobbered over her. _Jon wasn’t like that. He had been soft until the end._

She was distracted in her dancing lessons and Syrio was punishing her for it. He instructed her to catch rabbits in the Godswood.

“You are too slow, your enemies will be faster,” he told her.

She had been out all day and had only caught one rabbit. She did have a lot of cuts and bruises from falling over tree branches, and the bottoms of her breeches were still soaked from when she fell into the pool earlier in the day. She was growing tired when she spotted a black rabbit near the Heart Tree. She wound her way around the tree so she could approach the rabbit from the rear. She was nearly on top of it when she heard the snap and the rabbit took off. She dove to the ground to try to get it but it was quicker than she was and she found herself sprawled on the ground, too tired to move.

 

“Have you been out here all day?” Jon asked, looking down on her as he approached.

“Syrio says I need to be quicker,” she said rolling onto her back.

“And how are you supposed to be getting quicker laying on the ground like that?” he jested

“I’m too tired. Rabbits are faster than cats.”

“Here,” he squatted down in front of her and offered his hand to pull her up into a sitting position. His other hand held a heel of bread with some cheese. He offered her the food.

“Thank you. I am famished,” she muttered, her mouth already filled with food.

He watched her as she ate, a small smile appearing on his face at the small shimmy she did when she ate. He watched her as she bought the heel of bread to her mouth when he noticed the gash on her arm.

“You’re hurt.”

Her eyes went wide as if she didn’t understand him. He grabbed her arm to examine the cut.

“Oh that.” She shrugged her shoulders and finished eating.

“Yes that,” he pushed the sleeves of her tunic up so he could wash the wound. Dipping his hands into the pool, he washed the blood from her arm.

“Thank you,” She said looking at the way his hands moved. _Gods, what I wouldn’t do to feel those hands all over me._

“We need to get you to Maester Luwin. He can bind the cut for you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Arya, it’s starting to bleed again. I’m taking you to Maester Luwin.” Finality tinged his voice.

“Fine. Just not now. I’m too tired to move.” She said as she lay back against the Heart Tree.

Jon moved to join her and as soon and he did, her head was on his shoulder.

Jon looked down at her and saw that her eyes were closed. He placed a small kiss on the top of head, content at the thought of her taking comfort in him.

Arya looked up at Jon and smiled. His eyes changed as he looked at her, his grey eyes turning black as his pupils expanded. He dipped his head towards her and kissed her.

It started just like the first but when Arya moved to sit up straighter, his hand found his way to the back of her head and he pulled her closer to him. He licked her bottom lip and when she gasped at the feeling, he pushed his tongue into her mouth.             He was reveling in the taste of her, exploring her mouth with his, and massaging her tongue with his. Arya bought her hands to fist in his hair and as soon as he felt her hands in his hair, her nails scratching his scalp, his eyes snapped opened and he pulled away from her.

“Sorry,” he said, standing up quickly, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Arya looked at Jon and for the first time since she knew him, couldn’t understand him at all. _Why was he so infuriatingly confusing. He kisses me like that and then tells me he shouldn’t have. I can’t make heads or tails of him_. _He looks so dejected. It’s not as if we’re doing anything wrong. Does he think kissing me is wrong? Well, he won’t see that he’s had any effect on me._

“Jon, it’s alright,” Arya said nonchalantly.

“No. It was wrong of me. I shouldn’t be taking advantage of your kindness like that.”

“It’s alright, Jon. We’re just practicing.”

“Practicing?”

“Yes. Practicing. You help me get better at fighting and I help you get better at riding. And now we’re practicing kissing.”

Jon considered what she said. _Practicing. But I don’t want to practice anymore._ He just nodded his head at her but didn’t say anything else.

Arya got up from the Heart Tree and began to head back towards the Keep.

“Where are you going?” he asked after her

Arya held up her arm “going to see Maester Luwin so he could bind the cut.”

She turned around and left him in the Godswood. Jon looked up at the Heart Tree but it felt wrong to be in its presence after he had just kissed Arya like that.

“What do I do?” he asked the tree. He stared at the face for a while willing it to answer him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat and Ned try to solve the Arya and Jon problem.

 

Catelyn found Ned reading in his solar. _I put this conversation off long enough._

Ned looked up to see his Wife’s apprehension written all over her face.

“Cat, what’s wrong?” he asked as he closed the book and grabbed her hand, bringing her to sit in the chair next to his.

“It’s Arya.”

“What has she done this time?” Ned asked with a chuckle. _Of course it’s Arya, none of my other children give me as much grief as she does._

“She spends all her time with Jon and I am worried about her.”

“What is there to worry about? Jon wont let her get into too much trouble.”

“But it isn’t right for her to spend so much time with a man grown. She should be learning how to be a proper lady like Sansa. Not running around outside after Jon.”

“I think you’d find that it is Jon who runs after Arya. Not the other way around.”

Cat only sighed. She knew that Ned would find no fault in his nephew. _But he should be more worried about his daughter and the reputation she is sure to cultivate if she continues down this path._

Ned looked at Cat and could feel the worry rolling off of her in waves.

“What’s really wrong, Cat?”

“She spends all her time with Jon. She is never at her lessons. How are we to find a suitable husband for her when she is as wild as Nymeria.”

Ned could only laugh. _If she only knew that it wouldn’t be a problem._

“It is early still to be talking about Arya marrying.”

“She is six and ten Ned, soon to be seven and ten. Her moon blood is later in arriving than Sansa’s, but it will be here shortly.”

“I understand Cat, but we will not marry Arya off before Sansa, so you have time yet to tame the North out of her. And if all else fails, we will marry her off to someone who understands Northern women.”

“She is not a Northern woman, Ned. She is a wildling.” Cat could only shake her head. _I knew he would not take this seriously. He dotes on Arya and Jon because they remind him of Lyanna._

When Cat left the solar, Ned pushed up from his seat and went to the window that overlooked the training ground.

The day was growing late but he could still see Arya and Jon having an archery contest. Arya was dancing around behind Jon, trying to distract him from his shot. But to no avail, his shot was true.

Ned smiled at the pair. _They love each other_ , _that much is evident. Maybe not to Cat and they certainly didn’t realize yet, but it is as plain as day._

He thought back to the time he caught them in the Godswood. They were both sitting in a tree and didn’t notice him walking silently in the undergrowth. He noticed them though. Noticed how Arya blushed at whatever Jon was saying. How Jon kept looking down nervously at their intertwined hands. He was shocked when he saw Jon dip his head down to kiss Arya; more so at the fact that he didn’t realize that she was indeed almost a woman grown. One day she was eight, running after Jon and Robb with a wooden sword and now she was six and ten and kissing Jon in a tree.

 _It would be a good match for her. Jon cared for her and he is a Targaryen. Cat_ _is right, it would be impossible to get Arya a Southron husband if she kept up_ _her wild ways._ But here was Jon, a Southron prince, 2 nd in line to the throne, set to take over Dragon Stone when he finished squiring here and he only has eyes for Arya. _I’ll need to speak to Cat about it._

They both walked to the targets and pulled their arrows. Arya was the clear winner and she took no time at all to rub it in Jon’s face. Jon took it well though, throwing his arm around Arya and bringing her close, kissing the top of her head. _I’ll need to write to the Queen. It would be a good alliance between our two houses. Hopefully she sees it as such._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daenerys Targaryen visits Winterfell.

Queen Daenerys Targaryen arrived a month after Arya’s nameday. Jon was a bundle of nerves since the raven arrived. _She means to take me back to Kings Landing. She means to take me away from Arya._ He knew Arya felt the same way he did, she told him as much on their ride after Ned told the family the news.

“I don’t want you to go back to Kings Landing.”

“Neither do I.”

They raced back to the Keep and when they finished unsaddling their horses, Arya stood on her tippy toes and kissed Jon.

“I’ll miss you when you’re gone.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

That was all they spoke on the subject but Jon wished he spoke more. _I should have told her I loved her._ _It’ll be too late now._

 

They stood in a row in front of the Keep waiting for the Queen to disembark from her horse. Jon kept glancing down the line from his place next to Ned to look at Arya. _Curse her for being so small. I can’t see her face._ Ned cleared his throat to get Jon’s attention. The queen was fast approaching the line.

 

“Your grace,” Ned smiled, getting down to his knee. The rest of the family followed suit, “Welcome to Winterfell.”

“Thank you, Lord Stark,” Daenerys replied before turning her attentions to Jon.

“Nephew,” she said with a small smile, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

“Aunt Daenerys,” Jon said quietly, with a small bow.

The queen made her way down the line, Ned introduced her to the rest of the family, and she stopped to pay close attention to Arya.

“Your grace,” Arya said with a small, clumsy curtsey.

Daenerys quickly took in the small girl. _The hem of her dress is full of mud. And there is a small amount of twigs stuck in her braids. Of course Jon would like someone wild. Someone so unlike his reserved self._ Daenerys smiled at the girl and looked at Jon.

“Jon, would you be so kind as to escort me to Lord Starks Solar.”

Jon jumped out of his reverie and strode to offer his arm to his Aunt.

 

They met Cat and Ned in the solar and Jon poured his aunt a goblet of wine before taking his seat. _This feels strangely like when they told me of my father and mothers deaths._

“Jon, do you know why you are here?” Daenerys asked.

“You’ve come to discuss bringing me back to Kings Landing.”

“Yes, eventually. But first we are to discuss your betrothal.” Daenerys said while sipping her wine

“My betrothal? And to whom am I betrothed?” Jon asked skeptically.

“No one, as of yet but you will be.”

Jon looked at Ned, hoping to find a clue in his passive face, but there was nothing. _He’s just like Arya, can’t read anything in either of their faces._

Luckily, Ned spoke up.

 _“_ Your aunt is here so we can discuss the terms of your betrothal to Arya.”

This was not what Jon was expecting. He thought he’d be betrothed to some Southron lady. _Gods be good, betrothed to Arya._

“That is what you want, is it not?” Daenerys asked him coolly.

“Yes,” Jon swallowed, “yes, but I was worried that Lord and Lady Stark wouldn’t approve of their daughter getting betrothed so young.”

“Why wouldn’t we like it?” Ned asked, “You spend all of your time with Arya, we thought it would be natural to see the two of you married.”

“And you’re alright with this?” Jon asked Daenerys.

“It is an advantageous match. Uniting both our houses will make the Crown stronger.”

“And Arya is alright with this?” at this both Ned and Cat looked down. _Of course they haven’t discussed it with Arya. She doesn’t want to be married at all. Even if she did love me like I love her, she wouldn’t want to be married to anyone._

“We all know how Arya feels about marriage,” Cat said, “We are hoping you can make her see the folly of her ways.”

Jon looked at Cat, incredulously. _Didn’t she know her daughter at all? No one makes Arya do anything._

“We will help her see that this match is what’s best for her, Jon.” Daenerys said, reaching for the fruit set out for their meeting.

 

The next day after they broke their fast with the family, Jon joined Daenerys in the solar.

“When am I to go back to Kinds Landing?” he asked, sad at the thought.

“As soon as you are married or betrothed if you are needed sooner. You are a man grown, it is time you took over your duties at Dragonstone.”

Jon nodded.

“Do you think she won’t have you?” Daenerys probed.

Again he only nodded. “Arya doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. And she’s made it clear she doesn’t wish to be married.”

“But she loves you. Lord Stark assured me of her feelings for you.”

“Did he? I don’t even know of her feelings for me,” Jon looked down at the thought.

Daenerys looked at her nephew. _He is so unlike either of his parents. While they were strong willed and open, he is reserved, unsure of his place in the world._

“Where is Arya now?” Daenerys asked.

“Probably trying to get out her sewing with Septa Mordane. Why?”

“I shall rescue her then.” Daenerys said standing. “Show me to this Septa, Jon.”

 

She swept into the room where Arya and the other ladies where sewing with Septa Mordane. At her entrance, the ladies stood and curtseyed to the Queen, all except Arya, who was snoozing lightly in her chair. Jon closed the door on the ladies within with a smile at Arya’s predicament on his face. Sansa, annoyed at her sister disrespecting the Queen, kicked her lightly in the shins. Arya sputtered awake, ready to pounce on whoever woke her up so rudely. One look at Sansa and her pointed look towards the Queen and Arya quickly remembered her courtesies. She stood and curtseyed.

“My apologies, your grace,” she said quietly.

“It is no trouble. I came to inquire whether you would like to show me around the Wolfswood. But it can wait for another day, if you are too tired.”

“No I’ll ride with you,” Arya jumped at the opportunity to escape the room, rushing out her response, forgetting that she was speaking to the Queen, “your grace,” she quickly added.

“I shall meet you at the stables” Daenerys said, leaving the room.

 

Arya ran to her room, changed into her riding breeches and tunic and quickly ran out to the stables. On her way out, she ran into her mother.

“Where do you think you’re going young lady?” Cat asked sternly

“The queen asked if I could ride with her around the Wolfswood.”

Cat nodded, “well, don’t keep the Queen waiting.”

_She spent no time at all trying to get to know Arya. Hopefully Arya doesn’t do anything to spoil it._

Arya’s horse was already saddled and next to the Queens own Silver. They jumped on and took off towards the Hunters gate, Ser Barristan Selmy and another knight of the Queensguard at their heels. As soon as they were deep in the woods, Daenerys slowed her horse down and Arya followed suit.

“My nephew speaks highly of you. He tells me you’re not fond of marriage.”

Arya looked down, not wanting to be disrespectful but still wanting to tell the truth.

“I just want to go on adventures. I can’t do that if I’m a wife, swollen with a child, taking care of my husbands household.”

“And what if your husband also wanted to go on adventures?”

“He could if he wanted to, but ladies aren’t allowed to.” Arya said disdainfully. “Men get to fight and ride and travel the whole of Westeros and Essos, if they wanted to. But proper ladies can’t.”

“I was under the impression that you are no lady. And here we are riding. And I have traveled all of Westeros to be here.”

“Yes, but you are the Queen, no one can say no to you.”

Daenerys smiled. _Yes the rules are different for her than they are for me._

“What if your husband allowed you to do all the things you wanted to do? Fight, ride, and travel to Essos. As long as he was by your side.”

“I don’t think there are many men like that. And if there are, I’m sure they wouldn’t want me”

“And why wouldn’t they want you?”

“Men want pretty ladies, and I’m not pretty,” Arya said sadly

Daenerys looked at her dubiously. _How could she not see that she was beautiful? How could she not see the way Jon looks at her like she’s a breathe of fresh air and he’s drowning._

“I think you’re pretty. You look just like Lyanna.”

“That’s what everyone says but if I was pretty like Aunt Lyanna then Sansa and Jeyne wouldn’t call me horseface.”

“Disregarding your looks for right now, if you could marry someone who would let you be you, would you?” Daenerys asked, steering the conversation back to the topic of marriage.

Arya looked at her for a moment, turning the thought over in her mind.

“Mother and Father want me to marry so yes. Yes, I think I would. ”

“Then it is settled. You will just have to marry Jon,” Daenerys said, spurring her horse back towards Winterfell, leaving Arya behind with her mouth open.

_Marry Jon? Did the Queen just tell me I have to marry Jon?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Arya finally admit their feelings for one another.

They feasted that night to celebrate the Queen. Jon sat at Daenerys’ right hand with Arya to his right. _They are trying to keep us together._ Both Arya and Jon thought.

Arya harkened back to the end of her ride with the Queen.

“What do you mean I have to marry Jon?”

“He already knows you and your wish to be as unladylike as possible. He too wishes to see Essos. It would be a perfect match.”

“But Jon doesn’t want me as a wife.”

“I’ll just have to convince him then.”

“What of my parents?”

“I’ll convince them as well. It is as you say, no one can say no to the Queen.”

Jon’s hand brushed against Arya’s as he reached for his goblet and she felt a shock of electricity, she jerked her hand back as quick as possible. She forced herself to be calm and put her hand back where it was. _Just because I like him doesn’t mean I have to start acting like Sansa._

When the dancing started, Jon stood up with Daenerys, looking towards where Arya was standing up with the Hand, Tyrion Lannister.

“I’ve just about convinced her to marry you,” Daenerys said mid twirl.

“And how did you do that?”

“Reminded her that you won’t want to change her Northern ways. You don’t do you?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good. When you are married you shall travel to Braavos before returning to Dragonstone and beginning your duties to your house and family. “

“Braavos? What’s in Braavos?”

“Nothing. Except you both wish to see the Free Cities and it is best to get it out of the way before she is with child.”

Jon nodded at the thought, “and she agreed to all of this?”

“Not fully but she will once I tell her Lady Mother to forbid the match.”

“Forbid the match? Why in the seven hells would you tell her to do that?”

“Because Arya doesn’t do anything that others tell her to do. Her mother will forbid the match and it will only drive Arya to want it even more.” _She spent an entire afternoon with Arya and she knows her just as well as her father and I do._

“Now” Daenerys said as the song was ending “go dance with you betrothed.”

They parted ways as the Lord Hand was bringing Arya to join them.

 

As they danced, Arya looked everywhere but at Jons face. _Get it together Arya. Calm as still water._

“Ss anything the matter?” he asked. _Of course he noticed something is wrong._

“Nothing.”

“Really? You’re usually not this quiet.”

“I’m fine. Just tired after my ride with the Queen.”

“Did you have a good talk?”

“Yes. I think so.” _She doesn’t wish to speak on it. She doesn’t wish to be married at all._

 

They finished the dance and Arya moved away from him. He didn’t see her at all for the rest of the evening and it troubled him.

“Why the long face nephew?” Daenerys asked, joining him on the high table.

“I don’t think she wants the match.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I see the way Ned and Cat look at each other. And the way your face gets when you think about Oberyn. The love they have in their eyes is palpable. Arya barely looked at me when we danced.”

“She is young still, Jon. She doesn’t know how to love you like I love Oberyn. Or how her parents love each other. Right now she only cares about fighting and riding. But she’ll figure out her feelings for you soon enough.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you are going to tell her,” Ned spoke up behind the pair.

Jon looked up at his uncle and furrowed his brow.

“You’re in on the plan to trick your daughter into marrying me?”

“Arya doesn’t know what she wants just yet, or what will be good for her in the long run. You better run along before the feast is over. You’ll find her in the Godswood.”

 

Jon found her in a tree overlooking the pond and the Heart Tree. He stood under it looking up at her.

“Can I come up?” he asked, a small smile on his lips.

She rolled her eyes and moved further out on the branch to make room for him.

He climbed up and as soon as he was seated he threw his arm around her and bought her closer to him.

“Why are you out here?” he asked

“You know I hate dancing”

“Aye. I just thought you’d be taking your frustration at having to wear a dress and dance out at the training yard.”

“Father forbade me from practicing in the training yard while the Queen is here. I’m only to practice during my lessons with Syrio.”

Jon nodded and decided to continue on with his mission.

“What did you and my aunt really talk about Arya?” he asked solemnly.

She sighed and in a quiet voice said “marriage”

“Whose marriage? Yours?”

She nodded.

“And who, pray tell, are you getting married to?”

“You, apparently.”

“And you’re not happy at the prospect of me being your husband?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it? I know you don’t wish to marry but you knew you’d have to eventually.”

“I know. But it was always something I thought about in the abstract now its real and things will change.”

“What’s changing?”

She shrugged her shoulders and began rambling.

“I’ll have to leave Winterfell and Robb and Bran and Rickon and Father and it’ll be so hot in the South. And....” she bit her bottom lip not wanting to continue.

“And?”

“You don’t want me as a wife.”

“Who says that?”

“You do. Every time we kiss. You always make it a point of reminding me that we’re just practicing and if we’re married it wont be practicing and…and I don’t want it to be a practice anymore.”

He looked down at her and grabbed her chin to force her to look at him.

“Then it wont be a practice anymore.” And he kissed her, good and truly, kissed her. Pouring all of his love into the kiss so that she would feel it. Feel how much he loved her. He barely let her come up for a breath before his mouth was on hers again. His tongue in her mouth, one hand behind her head bringing her closer to him and the other on the tree trunk to steady them so they wouldn’t fall. She melted against him, one hand in his hair, lightly scratching his scalp, sending shivers down his spine. He broke away when he felt himself sway and put his forehead on hers. Looking down at his betrothed.

“I love you Arya.” He said and planted a small chaste kiss on her lips.

“I love you too Jon.” She said as she leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and Arya have a moment in the woods.

Whenever Jon wasn’t with Daenerys or training with Robb and Theon, he was with Arya. Helping her hid from her lessons in the dusty, dark shelves, of the Library Tower, kissing her. Kissing in the trees in the Godswood. Hiding in the Broken Tower, kissing. Or Arya’s favorite, riding out in the Wolfswood. As soon as they were clear from the grounds, they’d tie up her horse and she’d jump onto the front of his horse so they can ride together and kiss. They were on his horse making their way back to hers, when she asked about their betrothal.

“What do you think my parents would say about our betrothal?”

“I don’t know. Do you think they’d say no?”

“I’d run away with you if they did.”

_Dany was right. Tell her she couldn’t have something and it would only make her want it more._

“Where would we go?” he asked curiously

“Braavos. Volantis. Yi Ti even.”

“I have to take care of Dragonstone,” he said glumly.

“I’d disguise myself as a kitchen maid and go to Dragonstone with you.”

Jon chuckled. “So you’d go to Dragonstone with me? We’d have to if we were married.”

“I’d go anywhere with you,” she said seriously.

“But you’d have to leave the North and your family.”

“You’d be my family.” She said resolutely

_She never wanted to leave the North or get married and now she’s talking about moving to Dragonstone with me._

He nodded and kissed the back of her neck eliciting a giggle from her. _Gods, if I can hear that sound everyday for the rest of my life, I’d never want for anything again._

They reached her horse and they both jumped down, giving his horse a break before riding back to the Keep. She gave Jon a kiss, trailing it down his neck, a small moan escaping his lips, making her giggle again.

“You think that’s funny, do you?” he growled.

She only nodded her head and continued kissing his neck.

He pulled her face to his and decided to repay her in kind. His lips trailing down her neck, stopping at her collarbone to give her a small nip before making his way around to the other side. “Jon” she breathed, running her hands through his dark curls, her sex began to tingle.

Hearing her say his name like that sent a jolt of electricity straight down to his manhood. _Gods I just want to take her right here and now, hear her whimper my name over and over as I drive my cock into her warmth._

His hands trailed down her sides, brushing over her breasts through her tunic, causing her to gasp, leaving her mouth wide open, so he can assault it with his tongue.

His thoughts kept drifting towards all the indecent things he wanted to do to her once they were married. _Arya coming undone under me, her entire body shaking as she comes, her cunt pulsating around my cock, yelling out my name, her beautiful breasts heaving as she tries to catch her breathe, but I won’t let her. I’d move my mouth towards her cunt and lick her clean, sucking on that sensitive bundle of nerves, making her come again and again until she can’t form words, only scream._

His hands bought her closer to him, molding her body to his, making his desire for her known, his lips on her throat again, when she whispered “Jon” again.

She had felt his cock pressing into the folds of her breeches, dangerously close to her center, making it tingle, sending another trickle of wetness. She moved her hips, seeking the friction she so desperately needed right there and heard him growl. She did it again and his cock hit her in her most sensitive spot, a small moan escaping her lips.

Jon broke the kiss first but didn’t break contact and looked down at her.

“We can’t do this Arya. We aren’t married yet”

“I know,” she said, struggling to get her breath under control, “I know.”

“We should head back.”

She motioned down to his cock with a nod, “in a bit, maybe.”

He turned away from her, embarrassed that he had gotten as hard as did.

“Sorry. That wasn’t proper of me.”

“It’s alright. We’re betrothed aren’t we?”

He nodded and looked up to the sky, thinking of anything else to get his cock down. _Septa Mordane, Old Nan, Hodor, Maester Luwin, Theon, Robb, Old Nan. Old Nan. Old Nan._

As soon as he was composed, they made their way back to the Keep. Keeping a safe distance between the two of them as to not arouse suspicions.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedding plans are made.

Arya was summoned to her fathers solar and she went quickly. _I don’t care if I’m in trouble, as long as I’m out of that sewing lesson._

She opened the door without knocking and saw both of her parents sitting, waiting for her.

“Arya, please come in,” Ned said from his seat by the fire.

She took the seat across from her parents as her blood went cold. She ran down all the things that she had done recently that could have gotten her in trouble. _I’ve been missing my lessons, but I always miss my lessons and they never sit me down like this to yell at me._

“We want to discuss something with you, Arya,” Cat said, “about Jon.”

_So it’s about the betrothal. Daenerys must of have spoken to them about it._

“What about Jon?” she asked.

“The queen means to make a match between the two of you,” Ned said nervously.

“Oh” _They mustn’t know that the match is already set._ “What did you say?”

“I forbade it.” Cat said.

“You what?” Arya yelled, jumping up from her seat.

“I forbade it. You are too young to be getting married and…”

“And?” Arya pressed.

“I do not think Jon is the right match for you.”

“What do you mean? He’s a prince. He’s a right match for everybody. I thought you’d be happy that I’d get a good match, considering I’m half wildling like you say.”

“He is more of a match for Sansa, I’m sure the queen will see that when she spends more time with her.”

_I can’t believe my own mother doesn’t want me to get married. I can’t believe she thinks Jon likes Sansa at all._

“But you can’t deny the Queen, and I thought Sansa was betrothed to a Tyrell.” Arya protested.

“I haven’t yet. But I’m sure she’ll change her mind when she spends more time with Sansa. Sansa’s betrothal with Willas Tyrell isn’t set yet, Oleanna Tyrell is still mulling it over.” With that Cat stood and took leave of Arya and Ned.

Ned looked at his youngest daughter as she collapsed in her chair. _I’ve seen her laugh off a broken rib when she fell off her horse at one and ten. She is too heartbroken to put on a brave face._

“She can’t do that can she?” Arya asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

“I’ll speak to your mother, Arya. If the Queen has made up her mind, then there is nothing we can do.” He got up from his seat and poured a small glass of wine for her, “but I thought you’d be pleased. You always said you never wanted to marry anyone.”

“I don’t want to marry anyone,” Arya said quietly taking the glass, “I only want to marry Jon.”

“Since when?”

Arya shrugged her shoulders and drank her wine in one gulp. “I don’t know. We’ve been so close since he came here; it just seemed like yes, this makes sense. We’re friends and then we’ll be husband and wife.”

“And that’s what you want? To be Jon’s wife?”

She looked at her father. _I thought he’d be the one to understand why._ “He understands me better than anyone else. More than you.” Arya’s tough veneer cracked then. And the tears she was holding back began to rush forth.

“I love him.” She said, quickly schooling her emotions.

Ned pulled her to his lap and stroked her hair. “I’ll speak to your mother about it. I’ll get her to change her mind.” Arya only nodded and let herself be consoled. _I was so close to being with him._

After he sent Arya to bed, Ned went to Cat in her chambers and found her with Daenerys.

“Well, how did she take it?” Daenerys asked.

“She’s heartbroken that you forbade the match.”

“So she wants to get married to Jon?” Cat asked

“Yes. I’m here to convince you to let the match happen.”

“I guess we have a wedding to plan.” Daenerys said smiling.

“It is already planned.” Cat said nonchalantly, Daenerys and Ned only looking at her.

“I have planned all of my children’s wedding days since they were born. We only need to prepare for a feast and they could get married in the Godswood as soon as next week. The only question is how long shall we draw this deception out?”

“As soon as she has had her moon blood.” Daenerys said, “It is high time for my nephew to return to Dragonstone and begin taking care of his house.”

“I agree. As soon as we know that Arya has flowered, they will be married. It is later than it should be but that is normal in a girl so active.” Cat said.

Ned could only nod sadly. _I don’t want to lose Arya so soon but it appears I haven’t much of a choice._

 

Daenerys allowed Jon to remain at Winterfell so he could continue to court Arya. Cat continued the charade that she was against the match so they kept their betrothal a secret. To everyone else, it was as it always was. Jon and Arya always spent all of their time together only this time, when they were sure they were alone, they’d sneak kisses. They planned their trip to Braavos, to be taken as soon as they were wed. Arya even went as far as to ask Septa Mordane about running a house, and this time when Septa Mordane lectured her, she actually listened; for a little while at least.

To her credit, Cat pretended not to notice when Jon and Arya snuck out to the Godswood or how they broke away as soon as they heard someone entering the room. _We only need for her to flower and they can get married._

She thought of poor Sansa. _She will be jealous when the betrothal was no longer a secret and Arya would be marrying a prince and she’d be marrying Willas Tyrell. Her wedding would need to come before Arya’s to lessen the blow._

She will speak to Ned about writing to the Tyrell’s and moving the wedding up. _Sansa was already flowered, why put off the match. By the time we are in the Reach, Arya would have flowered. We could make our way to kings landing and have the wedding in their Godswood._

Ned agreed to the plan, wrote to both the Tyrell’s and Queen Daenerys and the Stark family, save for Robb and his wife Mrycella, already swollen with their first child, and Rickon, too young to travel, were off to The Reach in within the month.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stark Family travel to Highgarden for Sansa's wedding.

Traveling to The Reach was easy. Sansa, sad about leaving her family, was even nice to Arya, although she did make her promise to behave when they reached Highgarden. Arya rolled her eyes but agreed nevertheless.

They were a week outside of The Reach, camped for the evening. Everyone was making their way to their tents and the Inn the family were staying in to bed down for the night. Jon and Arya were straggling behind the rest of the family, reaching out to stroke her hand when he was sure the family wasn’t paying attention to them. He walked her to the room she was sharing with Sansa, checked that the hallway was cleared of people and kissed her.

“I miss you,” he said

“You see me everyday, stupid,” she said with a smile on her lips as she rolled her eyes.

“Aye but not like this. I miss this,” He said as he brushed the hair from her face.

She kissed him again and said goodnight.

She entered the room and climbed into bed with Sansa.

“I’m scared, Arya,” Sansa said after they blew out the candles.

“Why are you scared? I thought you always wanted to be married?”

“I do. But I’m still scared of leaving Winterfell. And I don’t know Willas like you know Jon.”

“What’s Jon got to do with anything?” she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

“Arya, I’m not blind. I see the two of you sneaking off all the time to be alone. I’ve seen the kisses you two steal when you think no one is looking. I bet he kissed you outside of that door before you came in.”

“That’s nothing, we’re just practicing kissing.”

“Oh please, he loves you and you love him. And soon you’ll be married. And you’ll have at least known your husband before you go to live with him. I’m marrying a stranger.”

“I probably won’t marry him. Mother is against the match.”

“You’ll marry him. You always get what you want.” Sansa turned over, her back to Arya.

Arya looked at her sister’s back, trying to come up with something to soothe her fears.

“We’re wolves, Sansa, we are strong. You’ll do your duty to your family, your new one as well as us, but remember that you are of the North. We can survive anything.”

“Winter is coming.” Sansa said quietly.

“Aye, winter is coming.” She looked at her sister again. _She always wanted to marry a prince and here I am, living her dream and I never wanted it._

“Are we ever going to be okay Sansa?” she asked tentatively

Sansa turned around and faced Arya, looking her in the eyes, so she’d know she was serious.

“When Jon first came to Winterfell, I thought he and I would be the ones to get married. But I was too nervous being around a Prince. Everything I did, I was convinced he thought was I stupid, prattling on like a simpleton about Kings Landing. You weren’t like that at all. You got to know him and you helped him after the death of his parents. Of course it would be you he would love.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“We’ll be fine. You deserve to be with someone who loves you.”

“I hope you and Willas love each other too,” Arya said.

“We will. We’ve been writing since the betrothal was set. He’s smart.” Sansa looked up at the ceiling, recalling his letters, “And sweet. He said he has a hawk for me as a wedding present.”

Arya was going to ask for the hawks name but Sansa continued, now on a roll, thinking about Willas, “And besides, mother and father didn’t know each other before they got married and they grew to love each other.”

They spent the entire night and every night leading up to the wedding talking about what they think marriage would be like. And the bedding. Sansa was most nervous about the bedding, and at the end of their talks, Arya was nervous about it too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The match is set.

Her moonblood came the day after Sansa’s wedding. _How fitting. We finally become like true sisters before she gets married and now we are both waking up with blood staining our sheets._

Arya got up from the bed and called for a tub and her lady mother. Cat entered as the maids were filling up the tub and upon seeing the blood on the sheets, she rushed to hug her daughter.

“You are now a woman grown, Arya.”

“I don’t see why it matters,” Arya said sulkily, “it’s not like I’m getting married.”

She turned her back to her mother and went into the tub, taking a large breath and dunking her head underwater before her mother could reach her.

“Your father and I have discussed the matter, Arya,” Cat yelled, hoping Arya could hear her underwater.

“And?” she asked, coming up for breath, but holding it as she waited for her mothers decision.

“If this is truly what you want, and the Queen still consents to the match, you and Jon may get married.”

“Really?” Arya said, splashing water on the floor in her excitement.

“Yes, but only if you really want it. Arya are you sure about this? You were never one for marriage.”

“I’d have to get married anyway. You always said so.”

“Yes but is it truly Jon that you want as a husband?”

Arya thought about it before nodding.

“I love him. He loves me. I can’t get a better match being half wildling.”

Cat laughed at that and began washing Arya’s hair.

“No I guess not. This is the best match we could hope for.”

“It could be worse. I could be full wildling and then no one would have me.” Arya said with a laugh. Cat just dunked her head underwater.

When Arya came up sputtering and laughing, Cat said “I’ll ask your father to write to the Queen about the match. Mayhaps we can be in Kings Landing before the month is out.” She dried her hands and left the room.

 

_Married before the month is out. I can’t believe it. She fought so hard on the marriage and now she is trying to marry me off before the month is out._

She got dressed as quickly as possible and ran to find Jon. _He needs to know that the marriage can take place._

She found him in the training yard, sparring with Loras Tyrell. She’d seen his spar before, with Robb and Theon and with herself. Watching him spar with Loras was an entirely different thing. When he sparred with Robb or Theon, it was lighthearted, aiming to only humiliate the other. Watching him spar with Loras, she could see that he was trying to hurt him. _Thank the gods they are only sparring with dulled blades._ Jon was clearly the better of the two, taking his time, drawing back and baiting Loras with small attempts, getting him riled up. When Loras grew too impatient and pressed the advantage, Jon allowed him to get within arms reach. Loras got too close and Jon spun around him, a move he learned from sparring with Arya. He whacked Loras in the back with his sword, Arya was sure he left a mark there. When Loras turned around, Jon attacked, his blows coming too quick for Loras to counter. _He saved his energy for when he’d truly need it._ He had Loras against a railing, raining blows that Loras couldn’t stop until he yelled, “I yield, I yield” and collapsed on his back.

Jon helped him up and walked away. _That was not a friendly match. But by the gods was it amazing to watch him move like that._ Arya shifted uncomfortably, desire pooling in her stomach.

 

Arya met him as he was putting his training sword away.

“That was quite a match,” she said looking up at him.

He only nodded at her and turned to walk back to his rooms. _Gods,_ _I need a bath and some ale._

“What’s wrong?” Arya asked, following after him.

“It’s nothing, Arya.”

“It’s not nothing. You’re obviously upset about something and it looks like you didn’t get it all out back there with Loras.”

“Do not mention his name to me again,” Jon said rounding on her.

Arya’s eyes went wide, “Why? What has Loras done?”

“He…” he started before he could stop himself and turned to continue on to his rooms, “its nothing”

“You were about to say what? Tell me?”

Jon continued walking. Arya ran to be in front of him and cut him off.

“As your betrothed, I demand you tell me what happened?”

“I don’t think you can demand that,” Jon said, the corner of his mouth quirking up, a smile threatening to break his serious demeanor.

“Well I am demanding it.”

Jon let out a big breath, trying to get all the anger out before speaking, less it make him angry again and he’d have to find someone else to spar with.

“He said something…about you.”

“What did he say?”

“It doesn’t bear repeating.”

“Tell me. If it’s made you this upset, I want to know what he said.”

“He asked if you were as wild in bed as you are in the training yard? If…” his cheeks flushed as he thought about what Loras said next. “If you rode me as well as you rode your horse.”

“He spoke to you like that?” Arya asked, her eyes becoming as big as saucers.

Jon only nodded.

“How does he know we are engaged to be married?”

“We were in our cups last night and I let it slip that you were my betrothed.” Jon’s hand went up to rub the back of his neck. Arya recognized his tell, that he was nervous of her reaction.

“It makes no matter that you told him,” Arya said nonchalantly forgetting her original purpose in finding Jon, her mind already preoccupied with thoughts of revenge, “I just can’t believe Loras would speak to a prince like that.”

“Aye. So you can see why I needed to take my frustration out on him.”

Jon looked down at Arya and saw the wheels turning in her head. _She is trying to figure out her revenge._ He began to rub her arms, trying to calm her down.

“I got him back for you. He wont be able to sit a horse for a week.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.” She fumed, breaking out of his grasp.

“I know you don’t, but no one speaks about my betrothed in such a vulgar way.”

“I’ll get him back for this.”

“What are you going to do?” Jon asked dragging Arya into the stable where he could be alone with her.

“I don’t know,” Arya began to worry her lip, thinking hard.

“Well you better think of your revenge fast, we may leave for Kings Landing soon,” Jon whispered in her ear, bending down to kiss her neck.

_How can I think of a plan when when’s doing that?_

“I could…” she got distracted when his mouth found hers.

“You could?” he asked as he trailed kissed down to the hollow in her throat.

“I don’t know. You keep distracting me,” she whined.

“Good. You promised your sister you’d behave while we were here, and I also promised her I’ll keep you out of trouble.” He drew her earlobe into his mouth and nibbled on it, drawing out a low moan.

“But…” she whimpered.

“Shhh. I will kiss the thought of revenge out of your head.”

“We’ll be attached at the lips until we leave.”

“Good. I only ever want to be attached to these lips.” He said nipping her lower lip.

Arya smiled at the thought and then remembered why she went to find him in the first place.

“You might be able to do just that. My mother finally consented.”

Jon’s head shot up from his place at her neck.

“She did?”

Arya nodded and kissed him.

“Gods be good, Arya, you are going to be my wife.” He picked her up and twirled her in the air. His face nuzzled into her hair, breathing in the scent of her. He put her down immediately, noticing her furrowed brow he quickly said, “sorry. I must stink. I’ve been sparring all morning.”

She shrugged her shoulder and jumped on him, trusting him to catch her, which he did. She planted a kiss on his lips and said, “I don’t care. You are going to be my husband. Besides, I’ve known you since we were children, I’m used to your stink.”

“Aye, and I’m used to yours.”

“Jon Targaryen, that is no way to speak to your future wife!” Arya yelled, hitting him on the shoulder. Jon laughed and pressed a kiss into her neck.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's talk about sex.

They arrived in Kings Landing and wedding preparations began immediately. _Before the month is out indeed._ Arya sat in her parents apartments in the Maidenvault, trying to pay attention to all her mother had to say about running a household. _Jon knows I’m not good at these kinds of things, but I should at least try._

“Won’t I have someone to help me with this?” Arya asked.

“Yes, but it is good to know how to do these things yourself. In case, something arises and you need to step in and take care of it.”

Cat could see her daughter was getting tired of the lecture, so she changed the subject to the bedding.

“Just let him do his duty.” Cat had finished, leaving Arya with her mouth wide open.

“I’m going to see Sansa” was all Arya said, getting up and leaving the room before her mother could horrify her further.

She found Sansa in her room, brushing her hair.

“Mother spoke to me about the bedding.” She said as she flopped down on Sansa’s bed.

“Gods, did she finish with ‘just let him do his duty?’”

“Word for word,” Arya and Sansa laughed.

“It’s not like that at all.” Sansa said, joining Arya on her bed.

“What was it like with Willas?”

“It was sweet. And tender. And well….”

“What?” Arya asked with a huge grin on her face.

“His leg hurts if he puts too much weight on it, so we had to do it another way the second time.”

“The second time? Gods how many times did you do it on your wedding night?”

“A couple. It was all very exciting”

“So the second time?”

“He laid on his back and I was on top. You’ll probably enjoy that way, you like riding. And it is very intense.”

Arya blushed thinking back at what Loras had said about her riding him like a horse.

“So how else did you do it?”

“When we woke up in the morning, we were both too tired to move, so he took me from behind.”

Arya’s mouth fell open. _He took her from behind?_ “And it felt good?”

Sansa nodded. “It was perfect.”

They spent the rest of the day giggling about sex, until they were summoned to dinner with the Royal family in The Queens solar.

 

The wedding day was fast approaching and Arya was getting more nervous by the second. _It hasn’t helped that I haven’t seen Jon at all since arriving here._

Jon had been too busy to be nervous, plans had to be drawn for when they moved to Dragonstone after their trip to Braavos. The castellan had taken care of everything while he was in Winterfell but now he needed to take control of his house. _I didn’t realize there was so much to do._

“It runs smoother than you think,” Ned said when he entered and took notice of the look on Jon’s face.

“Does it? I’m not sure I can handle it all.”

“You’ll have good advisers. Listen to your Maester and Steward. They’ve been running the house since you’re father, they’ll not steer you wrong. You only really run into trouble when there is a war, but those can quickly be squashed with your dragons.”

Jon smiled and looked at Ned.

“You’ll treat her right.” Ned stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Of course.”

“I know you love her and you are my nephew and Prince but if I find out you’ve mistreated her in someway, you will answer to me.”

Jon laughed, “My aunt told me much the same thing last night. She’s taken to Arya.”

“As long as we are all on the same page. She misses you.”

Jon looked up at him.

“Go, she’s in the Godswood.”

Jon didn’t need to be told twice, he was out of the door before Ned could even blink.

 

He found her under the Heart Tree, practicing her water dancing. _She is so beautiful._ She changed into a low stance bringing her to face forwards and when she looked up, she saw Jon watching her. She quickly straightened herself out and went to him.

“We are getting married soon,” he said, stroking her cheek with his hand.

“I know”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes but not about marrying you.”

“What are you nervous about then?” he asked puzzled.

“The bedding,” she said quietly.

Jon laughed. _Of course she’d be nervous about that._

“Sansa, my mother and Queen Daenerys keep speaking to me about it and it’s getting me nervous.”

“What do they say?”

She bit her lip, too embarrassed to answer.

“As you betrothed, I demand you tell me,” Jon teased.

“I don’t think you can demand that,” Arya said with a small smile on her lips.

“Tell me anyway,” Jon said kissing her lightly.

She let out a breath and began, her cheeks reddening as she remembered everything, “my mother says to just lie back and think of Westeros. Sansa keeps saying that its wonderful and sweet with Willas and Daenerys is, well vulgar, really vulgar. I think King Oberyn and the Dornish way has rubbed off on her.” 

Jon laughed. _At least you don’t share a holdfast with them. They can be heard everywhere. And I wont tell you that Oberyn was equally as vulgar with me about the bedding._

“It will be okay.”

“I know it will be. I just wish everyone would stop talking about it. The more they talk, the more nervous I get, the more nervous I get, the more I feel the need to fight.” _She’s rambling._

He crashed his lips in hers, silencing her. She instantly relaxed, melting against him, opening her mouth so he could slip his tongue inside. He pushed her backwards so her back was against a tree.

“Sorry,” he said in between kisses, worried that he hurt her. He could feel her rolling her eyes at him as he bent down to continue the onslaught on her neck.

“No marks, I’m getting married soon,” she whispered and he chuckled.

He straightened up and smiled down at her.

“Yes you are,” giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, “there will be time enough for all of this after we are married.” He grabbed her hand and they walked back towards the Maidenvault.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding and a bedding.

They were married in the Godswood. Arya was sweltering under her maiden cloak and was glad that the one Jon draped on her was of thinner material, better suited for the heat of Kings Landing. Neither of them paid much attention to the ceremony or the feast. They smiled, they danced and ate but they didn’t pay attention to any of it. Before she realized that the feast was almost to an end she heard the cries for the bedding.

_I forgot to ask Sansa about this part._ Her heart was beginning to race and she looked up at Jon, panic written all over her face. He squeezed her hand before being dragged away by a couple of ladies. Arya felt herself being dragged up and away by Loras Tyrell and forced herself to calm down. _Calm as still water. Calm as still water._ Her bodice was ripped by the time they entered the hall.

She closed her eyes and repeated her mantra. _Calm as still water._ She didn’t hear any of the jokes the men made as they stripped her, she only thought on Jon and that helped her relax. She was thrust into the room in just her smallclothes. Jon was already in the room, hands covering his manhood.

She blushed as she took him in. Her eyes drawn from his face to his abs, the V in his pelvis drawing her eyes down towards his hands and his manhood. She turned around, cheeks red. _He’s my husband now; I should look._ She turned around and found herself looking directly at his chest. She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes.

He took her hands and led her to the bed. Then poured her a goblet of wine and stood in front of her. _I don’t think I’ve ever seen her nervous before._ After she drank her wine, he kissed her. _We’re good at kissing; she’ll relax when she remembers that._ He sat next to her on the bed and continued to kiss her. Deepening it and moving to kiss her neck when he felt her relax. When he bought his hand to her breast, she gasped. His thumb brushed against her nipple, making it stiffen on contact. He kissed down her throat, nipped at her clavicle and wound his way down to her breasts. _Those_ _gorgeous breasts I’ve been dying to lavish attention on ever since_ _that day in the Wolfswood_. His mouth found one of her nipples and he drew it into his mouth.

“Jon.” He heard her whisper, hearing her say his name like that made his cock twitch against her leg. He went to draw the other nipple in his mouth and show that breast attention as well. He let his hand trail down towards her cunt and felt her stomach tighten when he reached her dark curls. He moved up to kiss Arya and let his fingers dance over the folds of her cunt. _She's so wet_. The thought making him harder than he ever knew possible. He only lightly touched the folds of her cunt. Getting her panting at his ministrations. He looked down at her form, eyes closed, writhing in pleasure, at what he was doing to her and his heart swelled. He moved to sit lower on the bed and Arya perked up at the loss of his body next to hers.

"Shh love, just relax," he said as his head dipped to kiss her sex. Arya jumped at the contact but Jon dug his fingers into her hips, keeping her in place. When he felt her relax, he bought one hand to her, to part her folds, and find her clit. He swirled his tongue on that little nerve bundle and Arya moaned his name, back arching at the feeling, spurring him on further.  He continued to lick and suck on her clit until she was panting his name and then he stopped, eliciting a small growl from her at the loss of pleasure. He pushed his tongue into her slit and whirled it around and she moaned low in her throat. _Gods she tastes heavenly_. He licked up the length of her slit and when he stopped at her clit, he gave that a little swirl with his tongue. He did it once more and when he started to tongue her clit again, he stuck a finger into her and began to push it in and out. “More,” she cried and Jon’s cock twitched at the idea that she could take more. He inserted another finger and crooked it upwards to hit the spot Oberyn told him about and as soon as he did he felt her start to shake. Her cunt was pulsating around his fingers, and she was mewling unable to form words.

When she had come down enough, she shuddered again. Jon was still lapping at her juices and it was going to make her come again. But the need to feel him inside of her was too great. She pulled him up to kiss him and tasted herself on his lips. The salaciousness made her deepen the kiss more. She felt his cock near her entrance and tentatively put her hand on it. Jon moaned at her touch, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Enjoying the feeling of power that gave her, she let her fingers softly dance over his cock, spreading the moisture that had beaded at the top.

He jerked his hips in her hand and hit her sensitive bud making her breath hitch. She moved his cock towards her entrance and with her other hand at his lower back, pushed him into her. He went slowly so she could get used to the feel of him, not wanting to cause her any pain. He held his breath at the feeling of her exquisitely tight warmth and he willed himself to stay strong, to savor the moment, to please her multiple times over before finding his own release.

He stopped at her barrier and looked her in the eyes, she had sheen of sweat on her brows and she was panting hard. He kissed her deep and pushed into her to take her maidenhead. She stiffened, eyes screwed shut at the pain and they stayed there until it began to lessen. Jon waited for her to tell him it was okay to move.

He began kissing her neck. Bending down to kiss the tops of her breasts. When he made his way back to her lips, she began to rock her hips forward. Jon plunged his tongue in her mouth and began to slowly thrust into her. He was breathing hard at the sensation of being buried to the hilt in her when he heard Arya say it, “Faster”. He almost came undone at that word. _The little minx will be the death of me._ “Are you sure?” Jon asked her. _I want to do unimaginable things to you but not yet; we’ve only just begun._

Arya nodded and began to move her hips faster, demanding him to do the same.

Keeping himself buried in her, he pushed himself up to his knees and grabbed Arya’s legs to hold them aloft. She understood what he was trying to do and hooked her feet behind his back. He grabbed her hips and began to plunge into her. He was in the Seven Heavens watching his cock slide in and out of her. Arya began playing with her breasts, rolling and pulling the nipples in between her fingers. Jon bought a hand up to her clit and began to tease the little button between his fingers. Arya moaned loudly at the feeling. She started to pant out his name and he felt her cunt contract on his cock. She let out a low scream and shook as her orgasm took over her body. Jon continued with his onslaught, still pushing in and out of her. He bought her up sit in his lap and with his hands on her hips; he forced her up and down onto his cock. She bought her lips to his and kissed him deep, her nails biting into his back. She was nearing another orgasm. The position made it so he was hitting that spot inside of her every time he bought her down onto him. She didn't have enough voice to scream this time; she only exhaled “Jon” in his ears and came again. Her breathy voice sent him over the edge and he pushed into her once, twice more before he was growling her name, quaking and spilling his seed inside of her. Arya collapsed on top of Jon, forcing him to fall on his back. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as they both caught their breath. She felt him get soft inside of her and felt dismayed at the loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so ya'll know, there is a lot more sex to come.


	12. Chapter 12

They lay like that for a little while longer. Jon pulled himself out of her and repositioned them so he could stare down at her. _My beautiful wife_. Her eyes were closed and her chest was heaving, still trying to calm herself down.

"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.

She had newly formed marks on her neck where he nipped her and her hips were turning purple where he grabbed her a bit too roughly. He began to lightly trace the bruises, saddened that he hurt her, even though he knew she wouldn't take kindly to being thought of as fragile.

"That was..." He looked up to see her eyes open and looking at him, "Perfect."

Jon smiled wide and got up to fill a small basin with water and grabbed a piece of cloth. He bought it over to the bed and began to wipe the maiden blood off of her thighs and his cock.

When she was clean and he was back on the bed, She grabbed the back of his neck and bought him down for a kiss. She turned him into his back and rained kisses down his neck to his chest and kissed his abs, she stopped when she met the curls at his cock and kissed him lightly on the tip of his cock. Jon’s breath hitched and his eyes screwed shut as soon as he felt her soft lips on him and the blood began to flow towards it, she kissed her way back up again. She looked at Jon and loved the way his body responded to her kiss. She decides to try what Daenerys told her about in their many vulgar conversations about lying with Oberyn and how she makes him hard if she wants him to be buried in her again.

When she kissed down his body the second time and stopped to kiss the head of his cock, instead of just kissing it, she inserted the head of his cock into her mouth. She heard Jon take a large breath and moan low in his throat. She looked up at him and saw his eyes staring down at her. Emboldened at the thought of him watching her she began to swirl her tongue over the head and then kissed her way down his length and back up. She took him into her mouth once more and slowly sucks, bobbing her head as she does. She pulls him out of her mouth and kisses down the length of him again. She chuckles when he hears him growl at the loss of her mouth. She sees a little bit of fluid coming from the head and she darts her tongue out to taste it.

“Arya,” he rasped bringing his hands to fist in her hair and she takes him into her mouth. She feels him buck his hips and before she can swirl her tongue again he is pulling her up and crashing his lips onto hers.

She pushed him down onto his back and straddled his hips. _It is my turn to be in control._ Using one hand to guide him into her, she slowly lowered herself onto his length. She smiled, remembering what Loras and Sansa said about a woman being on top. _Riding him like a horse._

She moved slow, wanting to savor the feeling of him being inside of her. He grabbed her hips to try to make her move faster, but she pushed his arms away and continued her torturous pace. She leaned back slightly, rested her hands on the bed behind her and rolled her hips forward. Slowly rolling her hips forward and back, making him hit her spot. He was enthralled watching her move like that, burying his full length inside of her; he bought a finger up and slowly circled her clit, keeping pace with her movement. Arya threw her head back and cried out his name. Moving forward, she put her hands on his chest and began to grind into him harder, increasing the pace so she could find her release. He felt her legs quake around him and he increased the pressure in his strokes, his hips jumping up to meet hers, his hand caressing her clit faster and faster until she felt the energy build up inside her. Her breath was coming out in short bursts, trying to say his name but it wouldn’t come out. She stilled and Jon came up to hold her while she shattered into a million pieces, her nails raking down his back causing him to cry out at the mixture of pain and pleasure.

He continued to rock his hips up to meet hers, and when she came again from the pounding, he felt her tighten around his cock. He yelled out her name as his vision wavered and his seed rushed out of him, leaving him weak. He stayed strong for her though. Holding her while her body quivers over and over again, the intensity of her last orgasm leaving her sensitive to every single touch of his. Every time she shook, her body sent her hips crashing into his, her clit crashing into his pelvis and another mini orgasm ripped through her body. She needed to get off of him, to come down from her high and stop her heart from pounding, but she loves the feel of his body on hers. Of being comfortably full, his sweat mingling with hers, feeling his heart pound in his chest. _I want to spend all day like this._

Jon withdrew from her and she mewed at the loss. He settled her down on the featherbed, and cradled her to his chest. His hands dancing over her hair, running down her smooth back, trying to calm her.

Arya closed her eyes at the motions and mumbled, “I love you” before allowing herself to drift off to sleep. “I love you too,” Jon said and kissed the top of her head. He tightened his arms around her and fell asleep with Arya nuzzling his neck.


	13. Chapter 13

Arya woke up to the sound of water being poured into a tub. She screwed her eyes shut and willed herself to fall back asleep. Every part of her was sore. _Should I be this sore? I don’t think so. I’m never this sore after a day of riding._ She began to smile, remembering riding Jon.

She heard the maids chattering and she stifled a groan. It was hot under the sheets but she didn’t want to move just yet. Jon slipped under the sheets and sidled up behind her. He planted kisses on the nape of her head, his arms wound their way to her front and he pulled her flush to his body.

“Time to wake up, my love.”

“Not yet.”

“I’ve ordered a bath for you. It’ll soothe your aching muscles.”

Arya only groaned. _A bath sounds lovely but I’ll have to move to get to it._

When the maids finished filling the tub, Jon stood and threw the blankets off of Arya.

“JO—” Arya began to scream but he silenced her protestations with his lips as he picked her up and carried her to the tub.

He gingerly put her down when they neared the tub and pulled the screen to cover it from the maids, busying clearing the sheets off of the featherbed.

Arya wasn’t paying much attention to Jon. She looked at the screen covering the bed from their view and longed to be back in it. _Why can’t we spend the entire day in it? It’s not as if we slept last night._

Jon cleared his throat and bought her out of her reverie. She noticed him then, standing in the tub, his arm outstretched for her. She took his hand and joined him in the tub, her back to his front.

Arya melted against him as the hot water began to soothe her overworked muscles. Jon bought his hands up to her shoulders and rubbed the soreness from them.

“How are you feeling love?”

“Better now.”

Jon wove his hands around her front in a hug.

“I’m so very happy, do you know that?”

“I can tell.”

Jon’s erection was pressing into her backside and Arya wiggled her bum onto it eliciting a small moan from Jon.

“The maids are in the other room,” Jon whispered, kissing her ear.

“I don’t care,” Arya leaned her head against his chest and kissed the underside of his jaw.

“We have to meet our families to break our fast.”

“I don’t care about that either.”

One hand of his worked its way down below the surface to find her sensitive spot and began to stroke it, the other groped her breast, tugging at her nipple.

Arya began to pant as Jon’s fingers worked her into an orgasm.

Jon could tell she was getting closer to her release, so he stopped his fingers.

She hissed out “Jon” not sure of how else to make her displeasure known when she was as out of breath as she was.

He kissed her neck and continued to torture her. Caressing the outside folds of her cunt, avoiding the spot she most desperately wanted him to touch. She closed her eyes and purred, moving her hips to try to get his hands to touch her there but he was too quick for her.

“Relax,” his hot breath said into her ear and she keened.

The hand on her breast felt her heart slow and when it did, he bought his fingers to her spot and resumed torturing her clit.

Arya’s breath hitched and her hips started to grind into his hand, searching for her release.

Arya made a choking sound, when he took his fingers away again, and went back to caressing the outside of her sex.

She grabbed his wrist and tried to force it back to her clit but he was stronger than her.

“Not yet.” He said and she could only whimper. She wanted to feel every part of Jon’s body on hers. She wished that they were lying in bed, so he could hover over her, feel every inch of her body covered by his.

She took his earlobe in her mouth and nipped on it, kissed the underside of his jaw, rubbed her bum into his groin with the hope that he would plunge into her and give her what she wanted.

“Please, Jon,” his heart thumped in his chest hearing her beg and he could never deny her anything.

His fingers went back to her clit and she threw her head back into his shoulder and moaned.

“The maids are still outside”

She wanted to say that she didn’t care but he pressed into her harder then and she could only moan, Jon silenced it with a kiss.

She whined into his mouth and broke away from his lips. Her orgasm was building within her and she chanted out his name, unable to do much else to convey her need for him. Her eyes sprung open but she couldn’t see anything. Her orgasm left her seeing pure blinding whiteness, her back arched against Jon’s chest and a high-pitched whine escaped her lips. Jon held her to him, while her focus returned. His fingers kept caressing her slower this time, building her up to another wave of pleasure, a peak she reached with a small shudder, her chest heaving, kissing his neck.

 

Jon held her to him and let her heartbeat return to normal.

“How do you feel now Mrs. Targaryen?” Jon asked and kissed her forehead.  
“Mmm.”

“We still have to break our fast with our families.”

‘They can wait a little while longer,” Arya says with closed eyes.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honeymoon delayed

The ship wasn’t very large. She expected it to be larger. 

"I know what you're thinking," Jon said, coming up besides her with a smirk on his lips.

"And what am I thinking?"

"Gods, this ship doesn't look very big." Jon said with a high-pitched voice.

"That is not what I sound like." Arya yelled, raining punches on his arms. 

"Yes, it is." Jon said in between laughs, trying to keep his voice in the upper registrar and blocking blows from Arya. He grabbed her hands and turned her around so he could hug her from behind, his voice back to normal, he asked, "am I right?"

"Yes, but my voice does not sound like that," she replied trying to get out of the hug so she could go back to hitting him. 

"Yes it does," He dropped his head to whisper into her ear, "when I am licking you and you are calling out my name, begging me not to stop."

Arya's breath hitched and her heart started to pound, she felt her face getting flush. 

"Am I right?" Jon asked into her ear. 

"You're being stupid. Someone will hear you."

"I don't care. I want everyone know that I love my wife," Jon twirled Arya around and bought her closer into a proper hug.

"You will have us laughed out of polite society," Arya replied mockingly, "a husband and wife should not love each other this much after only a month of marriage."

"But I have loved you since before we were married."

"Now that is downright scandalous."

They both turned when they heard huffing coming from behind Jon.

"My Lord, my Lady." Sam Tarly said with the biggest bow he could manage, which given his girth, was not that big. 

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Jon asked, detangling himself from the hug but keeping her hand in his. 

"I am departing for Dragonstone and wanted to talk to you before I left," Sam nodded for Jon to follow him and continue the conversation in private. 

"Anything you say to Jon, you can say to me, Sam," Arya said with a cool look that stopped Sam in his tracks. He looked at Jon and saw him give a small nod.

"Of course, my lady, it was only the matter of fostering a son of one of the Lords of the Vale and..." Sam paused not sure if Jon wanted Arya to hear the next part.

"And..." Jon prodded.

"There has been some troubling news out of Harrenhal. Lord Stannis and the Bastard Bull have been calling their banners. It appears your brother has a hand in it as well." 

"What has my Aunt to say of this?" Jon asked with a small look to Arya.  _She'll want to postpone the trip if she thinks war could break out when we are away, maybe she should not have stayed._

"She has requested Lord and Lady Stark return to Winterfell and Lord and Lady Tyrell to return to Highgarden; she is unconcerned" Sam added with a pointed look at Arya, "but it is better to be safe than sorry." 

Jon nodded and bought his hand around to stroke Arya's back. He saw her tense up when Sam mentioned the Bull and wanted to do nothing but soothe her worries. "I will speak to my Aunt. It may be we might need to postpone our trip, my love," Jon said with a look down at Arya, who only nodded.  _I knew one day the Bull would cause trouble._

He left Arya to finish packing, or at least he hoped that was what she was doing, and he found Daenerys in her solar with Ned, Varys, Tyrion and Lady Oleanna. 

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for Braavos?" Tyrion asked. 

"Should I be? With the Baratheon's and the Bull calling their banners? I do not want to postpone the trip but Arya will understand if there is to be a war."

"There will be no war, Jon," Daenerys said, "the Baratheon's have the support of their lesser houses and that is it. They will be foolish to try to rebel when the crown is married to half of the kingdom."

"What about Aegon?" Jon asked.

"You brother is not foolish enough to mount an insurrection against the crown." Tyrion stated before downing his cup of wine.

The rest of the occupants of the room looked at him. 

"He is?" Tyrion asked.

"Aegon believes he should rule and if this were the old way, he would be right. But when I married Oberyn, Westeros adopted their right of succession. In Dorne, a sister comes before a son. Rheagar accepted it when he bade me marry Oberyn, he just didn't see himself dying so young," Daenerys said as she sat down in front of the fire, looking at her nephew. "Go to Braavos, Jon. If there is to be war, you will be happy you spent as much time as you did with Arya before you are to fight."

"But if they attack while we are away? I have no heir in Dragonstone and I won't make my people fight for me from half a worlds away."

"Arya will understand if you must delay the trip. Go to her and make to Dragonstone. Maybe, if they see the crown is prepared to fight with the might of half of the great houses in Westeros, they will stop," Ned finally spoke from his seat.

"Aye. Maybe they will, but it is the other half of the great houses of Westeros that I am worried about," Jon said as he made his way out the door.

 

Arya was indeed in their rooms but she was not packing. She had all but worn a hole in the rug with all of her pacing, remembering the first time she met the Bull, or as he was going by then, Gendry. When Jon opened the door, she jumped on top of him and was raining kisses down on his face. He sighed and slowly lowered her back down to the floor. 

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, my love."

"We are not going to Braavos?" she asked. 

"I'm afraid not."

"So he is trying to start a war?" Arya asked.

"Yes." Jon said with a sigh, sitting on the bed.

"Then we must leave for Dragonstone. We are already packed, it is only a matter of taking a few things off of the ship and we can be off with Sam."

"You're not angry?" Jon asked, grabbing her hands and kissing them. 

She shook her head and Jon pulled her towards him in a bear crushing hug.  _I will kill the Bull myself if he causes her pain again._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to end the story at chapter 14 but then I wrote this chapter and changed my mind. I will however be taking a hiatus from this story. Maybe. Maybe not. I haven't decided yet and in all likelihood, it will probably be a maybe not. I have another story in the works and I'm not one to work on things concurrently so I'll probably post a couple of chapters of that one before I return to this one.


	15. Only Good Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon worries about Arya and makes plans.

Jon was on his horse trying to keep up with Arya as they raced through the Wolfswood. She was unnaturally fast and Jon was only able to catch glimpses of her through the trees as he chased her. Occasionally, he’d hear her laughter flit through the trees and he urged his horse faster. They finally came to a large clearing, a part of the Wolfswoods that Jon hadn't seen before and he was able to get a clear view of her. She was sitting astride Nymeria nearing the opposite end of the clearing. _That’s why she’s so fast_. She slowed down and yelled something but Jon was too far away to hear it. “What?” He yelled to her and spurred his horse onward to reach her. His horse pulled up short when it felt a rumbling in the earth and the woods behind Arya exploded. An entire herd of deer came rushing out behind Arya. Jon tried to steady his horse and make his way towards Arya as she sat on Nymeria, laughing at the wild beauty surrounding her. Jon saw her face lose its wide smile as a bright spot of red bloomed on her riding tunic. Jon could just make out the antler sticking out in the middle of it. The stag behind Arya reared back and pulled the antler out before rushing towards the rest of its herd. Jon rushed his horse forwards as she collapsed onto Nymeria.

Jon awoke with a start and sat up. His heart was beating hard and he tried to steady his breath. He felt Arya stroke his back, “another nightmare?” she asked as she kissed his shoulder. He nodded; _the same nightmare, every night_. Arya got up to pour him a glass of wine that sat by the fire. “Was it about the war?”  
“In a sense.”  
Arya handed him the goblet and sat next to him. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
“I just want to forget it,” Jon drank the wine in one gulp, stood and walked to the window.

The fire was going out in their room and Arya stared at the dying embers, pulling her knees to her chest, and wishing, not for the first time, that they went to Braavos when they had the chance. She could have convinced him to stay there. _But not really, Jon was too honorable to let others fight for him._ Her mind drifted to were it always went these days, to Gendry. Or the Bastard Bull as he was being called now. If they were still friends, she'd make fun of him for it.  
"I'll protect you, from him," Jon said, as if reading her thoughts.  
"I wasn't thinking of him."  
"Yes, you were. Because that is all any of us are thinking of."  
"Fine, I was but I don't like that you can read my mind sometimes," a small smirk appeared on her lips and just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. "And I don't need protecting, I'm just as capable a fighter as you."  
"I am well aware," Jon gazed out onto the water, a dark storm cloud was brewing in the distance, "Gods be good, there wont be a war, not like when Robert rebelled. The Crown is married to half the Kingdom."  
"Aye, but they have the Unsullied and God's know how many sellsword companies. Your brother Aegon has them convinced they can win. How he convinced Stannis Baratheon is beyond me."  
Jon turned from the window and went to the bed. He pulled Arya down with him and pulled her under his chin. "Will you tell me of your dream this time?"  
"I already forgot it," he didn't like lying to Arya but in this instance, he was afraid. Afraid that if he spoke it out loud, it would come true. He did not need to be a Red Priest to know the nightmares were a bad omen.

* * *

  
Sam handed him the letter as he broke his fast with Arya the next morning.

Bronzegate attacked. Lord Ferrule and family dead.

This was all the war was, small battles for small holdfasts. But Baratheon and the Bull were growing bolder and closer to both Dragonstone and King's Landing. They were fighting on both sides and yet they did not fall. It was said that if one unsullied falls, two take his place. Jon crumpled the paper in his fist and pushed his chair back, the chair scraping against the stones startling both Sam and Arya.  
"Forgive me, love," Jon placed a quick kiss on the top of Arya's head and left the room, Sam running after him.

  
Jon wrote the letter a week ago. It sat in his desk waiting. In true, Jon did not want to send it but with the fighting getting closer, he was worried for Arya and he would rather have her safe in Winterfell than in any danger staying in Dragonstone. He folded the letter and handed it to Sam, "send this to Ned Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the swing of things and this story.


	16. Can't Stop Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little bit of Arya's past with Gendry.

"I would have thought you'd be out practicing your water dancing." Jon found Arya later that day, walking aimlessly around the garden.  
"I don't feel well," Jon rushed to side as soon as the words were out of her mouth, his hands immediately cupping her face.   
"What is the matter, love?"  
"I don't know; nerves, breakfast not sitting right with me," she rolled her eyes.  
"A babe?" Jon looked at her, eyes brimming with hope.  
"It's too early for all that," her voice sounded tired and Jon knew not to continue the conversation. He wanted a child badly; an heir to Dragonstone, so that if he fell in war, Dragonstone and Arya, as Regent, would be taken care of. He grabbed her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. They walked through the garden, not speaking. Arya lay her head on his arm and closed her eyes, trusting Jon to lead her way.

Jon thought of the best way of broaching the topic of sending her back North. She'd be cross either way. He cleared his throat to begin but as soon as he did, Arya withdrew her arm from his and ran to the stables. She moved so quickly and Jon had no time to react and follow before she was gone. He walked to the stables still formulating what he would say to her about heading North, he'd gotten as far as "I was thinking of sending you North," but his mind couldn't picture getting further than that; he imagined Arya yelling or punching him. Durran and Sam intercepted him by the stables and before long they were talking about further fortifications to the outer wall in case they were besieged. He saw Arya walking out of the stables and sent Sam to check in on her "and remind her to stay within the walls if she wanted to ride."

  
"Good afternoon, my lady," Sam ran over to her, holding his chains so they wouldn't bounce up and hit him in the face.   
"What did I say about calling me a lady, Sam?" Arya wasn't feeling well, she was tired from being woken up by Jon's nightmare, her breakfast wasn't sitting well with her and she wanted nothing more but to crawl back into bed for an hour to rest.  
"My apologies, my la--Arya," Sam blushed, like he did every time he had to say her name instead of my lady, "Jon only wanted me to remind you to ride within the walls."  
"Oh, I'm not feeling up for a ride today, I was just--" Arya trailed off, I don't want to tell Sam I was sick, then he'd tell Jon and Jon will think I'm pregnant.

  
She turned to walk back to the castle, intent on getting some rest before dinner. Sam fell in step with her and they walked back to the castle together. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, about to say something to her before changing his mind and shaking his head. He did it two more times before reaching her solar.  
"Out with it Sam."   
"I'm sorry, my lady, Arya," he corrected himself quickly, "only Jon told me that you used to know the, um, Bull, and I was only wondering..."  
"How I knew him?"  
"Yeah. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
"No, it's alright. He and I did used to be friends." Arya stopped before the door to her room and faced Sam, "My father was friends with Robert Baratheon before the rebellion, they squired together at the Vale. And when Robert died at the Trident, my father, for the love he once had for Robert, arranged for Gendry to squire at Castle Cerwyn. Castle Cerwyn is within riding distance of Winterfell--"   
Arya felt the bile rising in her throat. It had been happening a lot lately. Whenever she thought back on her friendship with Gendry, on how she once to walk through Wintertown with him whenever Jon and Robb were too busy to spend time with her, on how he used to make her laugh, and on how she once thought his blue eyes were beautiful. She ran into her solar and hunched over the basin near the window. Her stomach had nothing left in it but she coughed and heaved into the basin all the same.   
"Arya, are you alright?" Sam asked behind her, "I can give you something to settle your stomach."  
"No, no, Sam, I'm alright." Sam helped Ayra to a seat by the fire and more surprising for her, she let him. He bent over in front of her and began checking her eyes and pulse for signs of sickness. "We would meet together in Wintertown--"  
"You don't have to continue, my lady"  
"It's fine Sam. Jon doesn't like to talk about it, but occasionally he didn't like me hanging around him. Especially if Theon and Robb made fun of him for it. So, besides Jon, Gendry was my only friend. And one day he just wasn't there anymore. And no one would tell me why and then Jon stopped caring what Theon and Robb said."  
"I'll get you something for your stomach, Arya. Wait here." Sam ran from the room and left Arya alone with her thoughts. 

**Author's Note:**

> A little backstory to the story. Elia Martell died giving birth to Aegon, and Rhaegar and Lyanna married legally. Robert still rebelled because he lost his betrothed but the rebellion failed when Rhaegar killed Robert Baratheon at the Trident. Daenerys married Oberyn Martell and due to Dornish inheritance laws, she is still able to become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms; she has been unable to produce an heir though. Aegon is set to inherit the throne being the next Targaryen in line. Rhaegar and Lyanna died at sea when they were coming back from the Free Cities. Jon is sent to squire at Winterfell upon their death. Cersei Lannister (Lannisters are just briefly mentioned) married someone else (not important) but the kids (aged up a bit) are still all Lannister.


End file.
